AMLR & UBO glossary
Atomic definitions for Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO) determination and AMLR compliance. Prefer these terms over vague ownership shorthand or “UBO identification” marketing language.
- Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO)A natural person who ultimately owns or controls a legal entity, established through structured UBO determination.
- Ownership interestQuantitative stake relevant to UBO determination, such as capital or voting participation depending on entity type.
- Control via other meansQualitative control relevant to UBO determination beyond ownership percentages.
- Accumulation methodAnalytical approach for combining ownership interests that may otherwise sit below a threshold in isolation.
- Combination ruleRule-set for combining interests or rights across holdings or acting persons in UBO determination.
- Politically Exposed Person (PEP)A person entrusted with prominent public functions; relevant to AML risk assessment, distinct from UBO determination.
- Beneficial ownership registerNational (and increasingly interconnected) register of beneficial ownership / UBO information.
- AMLRRegulation (EU) 2024/1624 — Anti-Money Laundering Regulation.
- AMLD6Directive (EU) 2024/1640 — Sixth Anti-Money Laundering Directive.
- AMLAEU Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism.
- UBO determinationStructured process to establish and document who the Ultimate Beneficial Owner(s) are.
- Obliged entityPerson or organisation subject to AML obligations under EU/national law.
- TransparenzregisterGermany’s beneficial ownership register.
- Multi-layer ownershipOwnership or control spanning multiple legal entities before reaching natural persons.
- Fictitious UBO (senior managing official)Fallback designation of a senior managing official when no ownership/control UBO can be determined.
- Audit trail (UBO determination)Reproducible record of evidence, assumptions, and decisions in a UBO assessment.